Theros Speculation: Minotaurs

During a PAX East panel, WOTC announced the names of the sets in the next block of magic cards: Theros, Born of the Gods, and Journey into Nix. There has been a lot of speculation on what these sets are going to contain, and where WOTC has planned to take us. Theros is said to be Greco-Roman themed which makes sense, as the code name for Born of the Gods was “Romans”. What we don’t know is how much of an influence Greek/Roman mythology is going to have on the sets. It’s too hard to predict what the story behind the sets going to be with the information that we have right now, but there are some conclusions we can make about Theros; we are going to see some awesome mythical creatures.

I’m going to be talking about one creature type that I wholeheartedly believe we are going to be seeing a lot of in Theros: Minotaur.

I have two words for you: Boros Reckoner. Boros Reckoner is my shining lighthouse, beckoning my ship inland, showing me a world that I have only dreamed of. A land called “Shiny-New-Minotaur-Deckland”. You might call me crazy, but I believe there was a reason WOTC made such a strong Minotaur Wizard, when it could’ve just as easily been a Human.

Minotaur is one of the only creature types that has appeared in a large variety of sets all through-out MTG history. They seem to be a race that is always there but never the focus. Dominaria, Alara, Ravnica, and Ulgrotha all had them, but they weren’t a crucial part of the story. Theros will open new doors and create a setting in which our friends the Minotaur can prosper and finally show their glory.

WOTC has printed a total of 33 Minotaur cards over the span of two decades, in a combination of every color except for black. Always a base color of red, but some variations of red/white, red/blue and red/green. There have been two legendries, one of which looks more of a Gazelle than a Minotaur. It is high time that we see a Minotaur general that isn’t based around us giving back to others. I want to smash! I want to wipe the blood of Goblins and Merfolk alike off of my double sided axe. I want a REAL Minotaur.

Boros Reckoner by Howard Lyon

So what should we expect?

Minotaur are a proud, noble race that are usually firm on justice and their own cultural systems. Very independent and strong as a group, Minotaur make a fantastic race to be Theros’ native tribe. When you think Theros Minotaur, you should think Tribesman. Think culture, think power, think warrior, think SHAMAN! Bones, hexes, skull staves, bronze jewelry, huts, moving colonies… the list goes on. Theros’ Minotaur are going to be a spiritual race. A race that has handed down its knowledge from generation to generation, survived extreme hardships, and has multitudes of stories to tell from it.

Looking at all of the color combinations that are possible with Minotaur it’s easy to get overexcited at the possibilities. What we should be taking in account is that we are coming out of a multicolored block. There has only been one occasion (Shadowmoor into Alara) where WOTC has printed a prominently multicolor set directly after another multicolor set. This means that apart from a legendary creature, we will most likely be seeing mono-red Minotaur.

So Minotaur are going to be a thing… But what cards are we actually going to see?

My Predictions:

Mono-red Shaman with a Green activated ability: Historically, WOTC loves to make a mono-red casting cost with an alternate colored activated ability. This has shown up before on Wizards but I think it will translate over into Minotaur.

Land destruction: Even if there isn’t a Minotaur creature card that has a land destruction ability, there will be a land destruction card with a Minotaur in the art.When I think Minotaur, I think smashing the ground, digging hooves into the dirt, splitting mountains in half. Not only are they red creatures but they are BIG red creatures actually capable of breaking apart the earth.

Ancestral Spirit: Minotaur are a very proud race with very tight-knit clans. If they are a more tribal society it only makes sense to have folklore, legends, and ancestors. You may not see the creature type “Minotaur Ancestor”, but you will probably see shaman summoning forth their ancestor’s fury onto the battlefield.

Red/Green Legendary: Last and most certainly not least, our legendary. You might say “Jessy, you’re asking for too much! A legendary Minotaur?!” YES A LEGENDARY MINOTAUR! I’m not asking for a Planeswalker here. I am asking for a symbolizing character that will show people that Minotaur are in fact a big deal. That if you want to cross this desert, you’re going to have to deal with a clan of bull-men, led by a war-torn veteran – not a gift-giving gazelle.

In conclusion, I believe it’s finally time for Minotaur to have a solid place within a Magic set. The theme of Theros will open the doors for WOTC designers to introduce mythical creatures such as Minotaur without making it feel out of place. We’re going to see a lot of great things come from Theros; it’s a block that I am more than excited for.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

If you want to talk about your own Theros predictions, elaborate on mine, or disagree with me completely you can: